SEOUL: A delegation from South Korea’s incoming administration will arrive in Japan on Sunday for talks with Japanese officials on ways to rebuild the bilateral relationship, which has deteriorated under outgoing President Moon Jae-in, as well as on North Korea.

During its visit through Thursday, the delegation, dispatched by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, is scheduled to hold a breakfast meeting with the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, a group of Japanese lawmakers for promoting bilateral ties, on Monday.

The South Korean delegation is planning to visit Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa later on Monday, informed sources said.

The delegation is also seeking to meet with Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Sunday that the delegation is carrying a letter from Yoon and expected to hand it to Kishida on Wednesday.

The delegation, led by Chung Jin-suk, deputy speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, consists of lawmakers and experts familiar with policies on Japan.

Before departing from Incheon International Airport on Sunday, Chung told reporters that restoring and normalizing cooperative relations between Japan and South Korea and among the two plus the United States will greatly contribute to peace and prosperity in the world, as well as in Northeast Asia and on the Korean Peninsula.

On Saturday, Yoon had a meeting with Chung and others, stressing that promoting mutual visits by the countries’ citizens is a quick way to rebuild the bilateral ties.

The delegation aims to hold talks with the Japanese side on the resumption of flights between Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, which have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as visa-free trips between the two countries, according to Yonhap reports.

JIJI Press